Combined harvester, thrasher, and separator



Feb. 19, 1929.

vc. A. STEVENS Er AL COMBINED HARVESTER, TIXRASHER,4 AND SEPARATOR Filed Dec. 3, 1924 5 Sheets-Sheet l 1c. A'. ,STEVENS ET Al.

COMBINED HARVESTER, THRASHER, AND SEPARATOR Filed Dec. 5, 1924 Feb. 19, 1929.

c. A. STEVENS ET AL Sheets-Sheet A. 2 9 1 5.. c. e D d e l i F INV/NTO ,lV/TORNEY Feb. 19, 1929.

C. Af STEVENS ET AL COMBINED HARVESTER, THRASHER, AND SEPARATOR Filed Dec. 3, A1924 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 /N VENTO/esl Mfr/76645 D Balayf /r/'If/ debi A TTORNE Y Feb. 19, 1929. 1,702,323

C. A. STEVENS ET AL l COMBINED HARVESTER, THRASHER, AND SEPARATOR Fi'led DeC. 3, 1924 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 nllll-lllll lli lll- /N VENTO/es ATTORNEY purposes other than harvesting.

Patented Feb. 19, 19.29. i

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CLARENCE A. STEVENS, GEORGE D. BALDWIN., AND JOHN IRL MICHAELS, OF WICIIITA, KAN SAS, ASSIGNORS, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO THE GLEANER COMBINE HAR- VESTER CORPORATION, 0F INDEPENDENCE, MISSOURI, A CORPORATION OF DELA- WARE.

Application fled December 3, 1924. Serial No. 758,688.

constructed tractor as distinct from a comr bined harvester, lthrasher and separator.

which is built into the frame of the tractor as part of a unitary structure and our invention particularly contemplates the provision of means for attaching the combined harvester, thrasher and separator'to a tractor.

yThere are certain details of construction in the harvester, thrasher and separator attachment which we consider of considerable importance aside from the fact that the harvester (and byfthiswe include the thrasher and separator) attachment may be applied to and detached from the tractor in an expeditious and convenient manner without altering the tractor so the tractor can be used for Another advantage is that the harvester unit is so constructed that the thrasher element can he placed close to the conveyor. Another advantage is that the sickle, the

feeder and the cylinder are arranged as one l I unit, thereby enabling us to shorten the whole machine and' allow us to arrange this unit close to the conveyor in a convenient way.

It is by no means an unimportant lfeature of the invention that the harvester unit or attachment for the tractor is so constructed that it will be relatively light and compact ilr form, that it may be readilyadj usted for varyingheig'hts of rains and that it may have suioient flexibility to operate over un-' even surfaces such as are ordinarily7 encountered kduring a harvesting operation. The

machine is so constructed that it has ample capacity for handling yarying quantities of material such as are encountered by field thrashers and positive means is provided for e refuse discharged from the macrence should be had to the following descripj tion in connection with the accompanying drawings, 1n which F thra er, and .separator attachment applied to a tractor.

lifig. 2 is a similar view from the side opposite to Fig. 1.

attachment combined" Fig 4 is a left hiind, front, perspective view of the device, parts being broken away to illustrate its pivotal mounting and adjust- 'able suspension of the working parts of the harvester unit. 1 i

Fig. 5 is a detailed perspective view of the skeleton frame for supporting the working mechanisms of the unit.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the means for connecting the frame to the middle portion of the tractor, and

Fig. 7'is a view partly in elevation and partly in section showing an attachment for the rear wheels of the tractor on which the frame may be hung.

The tractor illustrated comprises the main body portion 1, (Fig. 3) the front axles 2, the rear axle housing 3, the front wheels 4 and 5, rear wheels 6 and 7 and a draw bar 8. Allof these constitute a conventional construction found in any tractor. The drive shaft 9 however, ordinarily carries a pulley but in the present instance, we have substituted a sprocket1 10 from which power may he delivered through,gearedv transmission to the operating parts of the attachment.

The various elements of the attachment are lsup orted upon a skeleton frame,best shown Fig.,3 is a plan view of the tractor and'` l e n 1g, 1 1s a perspectlve view of a harvester, s

third longitudinal bar 13 to one side of the longitudinal center of the traine and two parallel relatively short longitudinal bars 14' and 15. The rear ends of the bars 11 to 15, bot-h inclusive are connected by a rear transverse bar 16. All of the bars thus described are preferably channel hars, although we do not wish to he limited toy any particular commercial shape. The bars 11, 12, and 13 are longer than the bars 14: and 15 but they do not extend beyond approximately the middle portion of the tractor and at approximately that point there are two vertical posts 17 and 18 fast to the side bars 11 and 12 and a vertical post 19 tast to the bar 13. The. posts 17 and 19 are connected by an angle 20 and the front ends of thehars 11 and 13 are connected hy a transverse brace bar 2l. rlhe post 19 is further braced with respect to the bar 13 by an inclined hrace 22, and the hars 1d and 15 are connected by a' transverse bar 23 to which the draw bar 8 may he fastened in a convenient manner. The postl 18 is connected to the har 12 hy an inclined 'orace 2d corresponding' to the hrace 22 and secured in hearings and 26 on posts 13 and 19 is a rocking cranlr shatt 27 connected hy linlrs 29 and 30 to the suspension arms 31 and 32 with which the complementary arm 33 forms a sub-trame that serves to support the'worlring parts ot the attachment, as will presently he described, the arms 31, 32 and 33 lacing pivoted to the posts 1.7, 18 and 19 onthe axial line 3e (Figs. dand 5). This sahtranae and itsload are balanced or'norinally held in an upward pon sition hy the tension springs 35, 36 and 37' fastened to the posts 18, 19 and 1i" and to convenient parte oit the enh-traine so the latter will he yieldingly held supported hy the posts.- vlhe :trent end ot the snhrmrainc may be adjusted vertically through the ineldium of a. lever mechanism 'controlling thel rocking crank shaft il?. The hars 11 and 13 support a transverse arno 38 carrying a plate 39 and the bar 12 supports a similar arm d() carrying a plate l1, the arms 38 and el() loeingr braced with respect to the posts 19 and 18 hy bars 38 and 4:2, and the plates 39 and 41 being; attached to the tractor by bolts or other suitable means (not shown) to securely connect the frame with the tractor. The attachment frame is supported Vtrom or connectedl to the tractor .hy lll-holte tsland 115 which are carried hirwtliev tronic hars lll and 15 and enclose the aidehoneing' 3 and hy extent-sionsl t9 and fll on the rear arles. The Wheels are provided with bushings llo, hav ing llanges L16 attached to the Wheels hy holte di'. ll'iazed to the arie eatensions are sleeves t3 having;I llangee a8 arranged haelt to hach with the vvheel hashirre,f1 .flanges 15" and se cured thereto hy the saine holte l? that attach the hashingsidti vto their Wheels.. ln this Way the estensione are secnrelyconneeted with the tractor wheels and when the traine is' applied to the tractor the extensions journal in the bearings and 51 on the frame members 12 and 13 and support 'the frame from the axle of the tractor.

The sub-:traine comprising the side hars 31,

32 and 33 may be adjusted vertically by a. hand lever 52, fixed to the rock shaft 27 and provided with a pawl 53 (Fig. 5) engageahle with the teeth 54E of a segment 55, which is pivotally mounted on the roclr shaft, but held from turning therewith oy bars 55 and 55, each of which hars is fixed to the segment at one end and to the attachment traine at the other end. "lhe pawl is spring-actuated to normally engage the segment, hat retractable bye rod 53 carried hy the hand lever in the usual Way. rlhe rear part of the :trarne carries a seat 53 on a platform 57 immediately below the delivery hopper 58 to he hereinafter referred to.

Mounted on the forward part ot' the solik traine composed of the arms 31, 32 and 33 is a transverse conveyor casing 59 which also supports the sickle hars G0, the siclrle hars operating in the usual Way'.l lllithin the casing 59 and immediately in rear oli' the siclrle bars 60 is a 'Worin conveyor 61, 'which is mounted on a shaft G2. Theconveyor terminates short ot the shaft and on the free end thereof are pins or ngers G3 immediately' in front ot' the cylinder 77 and concave 6ft so that the cut grain will he ted into the cylinder and concave. and in order that liability ci the lairain clogging or binding,n up at the end of the conveyor G1 he eliminated, have provided an outwardly directing hal-lle or guide 35 in the casing' 3) to deliver the grain into the chaniher in trent ci? the cylinder and concave.

The casing` 59, with the cutter har, the conveyor, the cylinder and the concave, constitute a unit adj'nstahle with respectto the casing); 6'?. The casing G7 is Hired relative to this adjustalole unit and contains a conveyor 6?', heaters 67" and separator 67' of types coinnion to thrashing mechanism and for that reason are not illustrated in detail in the drawings, but may he ot' constructions adapted tor treating graindelivered to the casing G7' trein the easing 57. llt its rear end the casing,I Si' deliifcrs the separated grain into a conveyor pipe 68, which carries the grain to a hopper troni which the grain may he saclred hy an operator riding on the platform 57.

The power'troin motor shalt 9 delivered through sprocket 10 to sprocket on shalt 550, there lacing a clutch 'l1 hetween the gear 69 and the shaft lll. is ohvioas, ci? coarse, that the tractor can move over the lield Without setting the harvester mechanism in operation it the clutch Y1 is out, hat that the operating" mechanism will perform it the clutch is in. rlhe shaft ill carries a pulley 'i which drives a belt Zet communicating motion to the shaft l5 through the medium of the pulley 76. The

Cal

shaft drives the cylinder 77 land on one end of the cylinder shaft isa sprocket 78 which drives a sprocket 79 on conveyor shaft 62 through the medium of a chain 80.

The sprocket 79 has a wrist pin 81 which drives a pitman 82 communicating motion to an elbow lever 83 to operate the movable cutter bar in the usual manner. I The other end of the shaft 62 carries a sprocket 84 which through the chain 85 drives a sprocket 86 on shaft 87. The shaft 87 carries a sprocket 88 which through a chain 89 drives sprocket 90. The sprocket 90 is mounted on the reel shaft 91 carried by the frame so that the reel 92 can be rotated to gather in the grain, the reel being carried as part of the unit supported by the casing 59 and the swinging bars 3l, 32 and 33. This permits the entire front operating mechanism to be raised or lowered at a single operation.

We have not described in detail the various helting arrangements for operating the beaters and the conveyors in rear of the front unitary structureV because such mechanism is well known and in so far as this present application is concerned, it is immaterial what construction of separating blower, conveyor or beater is used, it being important however, that such elements should be arranged in a compact form and conveniently supported by the frame structure contemplated by the generic ideas illustrated specifically in Fig. 5. Since the conveyors, beaters, separators, etc., are carried at one side of the :longitudinal center of the machine, we have fprovided a compensating device consisting o an arm 93 supported by the radiator filler 94 and having a compensating spring 95 thereon which may be attached to the front axle 2 at 96 so as to tend to compensate -for the weight on one side of the longitudinal vcenter of the machine. y

Attention is called to the fact that the bars 3l, 32 and 33 are pivoted to the rear portion of the main frame with their pivots in axial alignment with the power shaft 7 0 so that if the frame carrying the conveyor casing 59, the cutter bars,the conveyor, the cylinder and concave andthe tubular member 67 for the conveyor is swung about its pivot, thev belt 74 will swing about the axis-of the pulley 73 which is on 70, consequently there will be no tendency of the belt to become slack or tight during the swinging movement.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that the invention comprehends a simple form lo harvester, thrashin and separating attachment carried by alight but durable skeleton frame construction which may be conveniently attached to and detached from a known type oftractor so that the tractor and harvesting attachment may be quickly functionally associated when it is desired to harvest and the tractor may be conveniently and expeditiously disassociatedlv from the attachment when it is desired to use the tractor' for other purposes. This is an important feature for the reason that if the tractor constitutes a permanent part of the harvesting, thrashing and separating unit it would be unavailable for other purposes such as plowing, cultivating, trucking, etc. With the harvesting mechanism constituting an attachment for the tractor, however, the tractor 'is available for other purposes. Attention is particularly called to the fact that by providing the relatively wide frame, compactly built to be easily attached to the tractor and by bracing a relatively broad harvester front to the frame, a wide swath can be cut so that the machine has a considerable capacity, the reel folding in the'heads of the grain to present vthe gra-in to the cutter bars, the screw conveyor passing the cut grain along to the cylinder and concave or'thrasher in a steady stream without liability of clogging, the fingers 63 pressing the grain lengthwise of the machine into the cylinder and concave where it is thrashed and the thrashed grain passed through the pipe` 68 to the sacking hopper, thereby performing the complete harvesting operation with the single machine.

What we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A combined harvester, thrasher and separator including a main frame and means forpattaching the same to a tractor, a subrame adjustably supported from the main frame, harvesting mechanism carried by the sub-frame and comprising a transverse conveyor,thrashing mechanism on the sub-framel at one -side of its longitudinal center, arranged to receive material from the adjacent end of the conveyor, a separator on the main fra-me, and a conveyor on the main frame for receiving materlal from the thrashing mech- ,anism and conducting it to the separator.

2. In combination with a tractor, a main frame removably fixed on the tractor, a subframe adjustably mounted on the main frame lll) Jforwardly, vof the tractor and in its line of draft, cutting mechanism arranged transversely on the sub-frame, a primary conveyor on the sub-frame in direct receiving relation tothe cutting mechanism, thrashing mechanism 'on the sub-frame in direct receiving relation to the primary conveyor, a secondary4 conveyor on the main frame 1n recelvmg relation to the thrashing mechanism, and a separatoron the mam frame 1n receivlng relation to the secondary conveyor.

.p 3. Al combined harvester, thrashe'r and'. separator including a frame, meansfor ref-l movably securing the frame to a tractor, arms pivoted to the frame, a cutting mechanism,

a screw conveyor in rear of the cutting mechanism having a shaft with an end projecting` beyond the screw part of the conveyor, fingers on the projecting part of the shaft, a bale at the delivery end of the conveyor, and a trame, a shaft having an airis in line With the,

artis oit the tilting frame, means receiving power trom said shaft for driving the operating members on the tilting frame, and a separator adapted for receiving material from the thrashing mechanism.

A combined harvester, thrasher and separator including a. trame having anchor arms, plates on the arms for attachment to a tractor', a bar on the irame for attachment to the draw bar of the tractor, a plurality of vertical posts carried by. the trame, a roch shaft carried by the posts, pivoted arms carried by the posts, connectionsbetween the roch shaft and the pivote-d arms whereby the arms may be tilted in one direction, springsfconM nested to the arms at one end, means for anchoring the opposite ends of the springs, and

c cutting, conveying and thrashing mechanism carried by the arms.

6.. A combined harvester, thrasher and separator including a main trame, a subtrame adjustably mounted on the main trame, cutting mechanism carried by and entending transversely. at the iront of the sub-frame, a

conveyor carried by and extending transv versely of the sub-traine rearwardly of and in direct receiving. relation to the cutting mechanism,thrashing mechanism on the subtraine adapted for receiving material from the conveyor, a separator on the main frame, and means for conducting material from the thrashing mechanism to the separator.

7. A combined harvester,thrasher and separator including a' main frame, a sub-frame adjustably mounted on the main frame, cutting mechanism carried by and Vextendingtransversely at the front of the sub-frame, a conveyor casing at the rear of and indirect receiving relation to the cutting mechanism,

a thrashing chamber at one end ot'- the confor delivering grain through the casing,

pivotally mounted on the main traine, a con.-

veyor casing lon. the sub-frame, a feeding chamber at one end of and communicating Ymeans Jtor delivering material from the thrashing chamber to the separator.

9. A combined harvester, thrasher and separator including a main frame, a sub-frame pivotally mounted on the main frame, a con# veyor casing on the sub-frame, a feeding chamber at one end of and communicating with the conveyor casing, a thrashing'chamber on the sub-frame communicating with the feeding chamber, a screnr conveyor in said casing for impelling grain to the feeding chamber including a conveyor eiement and a shaft element extending beyond the conveyor element Within the feeding chamber, means on said shaft element Vfor delivering grain from the feeding' chamber into the thrashing chamber, thrashing mechanismin the thrashing chamber, a separator on the main ltrame, and means for delivering ma* terial from the thrashing vchamber to the separator. e

i0. i combined harvester, thrashcr and separator including a main frame, sub'- trame pivotally mounted on the main frame, means on the main frame -ier raising and lowering the sub-frame, a conveyor casing on the sub-trame, a feeding chamber at one end oi and communicating -`with the conveyor casing, a thrashing chamber on the sub-trame rearwardly of and communicating with the feeding chamber, a screw conveyorin said casing for impeliing grain to the feeding chamber, means in the feedingchamber for impelling grain to the thrashing Vchamber a separator on the main frame, and means tor delivering material from the thrashing chame ber 'to theV separator.

l1. A combined harvester, thrasher and separator including cutting mechanism. a conveyor casing at-the rear of and in direct receivingrelation to the cutting mechanism, a feeding chamber at one end of the conveyor casinma screw conveyor in said casing for impelling grain through the casing into the feeding chamber, a thrashing chamber in direct communication with the feeding chain ber, means iorimpelling grain from the iceding vchamber into the thrashing chamber, thrashing mechanism in the thrashing cha-1n her, a separator, and means for conducting material from the thrashing chamber to the separator. y

la. A' combined harvester, thrasher and separator including a trame, cutting mechanisni eiztending transversely .ci the machine at the front end of the f1'ame, a conveyor on the frame extending transversely thereof positioned rearwardly of the Cutting mechanism and in direct receiving relation therewith, a feeding chamber at one end of the conveyor, a thrashei adjacent said feeding chamber and receivingy gram directly therefrom, and means on the conveyor for 1mpelling grain from the conveyor to the thrasher.

tures.

CLARENCE A. STEVENS.

GEORGE D. BALDWIN. JOHN IRL MICHAELS. 

